Passing Notes
by Squirrel Stone
Summary: After the battle with Galaxia, Usagi and Minako have no youma to fight during class! How do they remedy this? By passing notes, of course! But when they get caught, they might not be ready to face the consequences.
1. Don't Pass Notes in Class, Kids

I don't own Sailor Moon. I got this idea from SailorLeia's Fifteen Ways to Make Your Prince Remember You Exist, chapter four, when Usagi and Makoto are passing notes in class. These notes have a lot of information about senshi business in them, and it got me to thinking: what if their teacher caught them? Thus, this oneshot was born.

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><p>Usagi and Minako were passing notes in third period. Well? What else were they supposed to do with no more youma to fight after the battle with Galaxia?<p>

Usagi couldn't help but giggle at the list growing on the single sheet of paper that Usagi and Minako had managed to fill front and back with notes. In fact, the paper was so full that Usagi had to fish out another sheet. She stealthily opened her book bag and ripped a sheet of paper out of one of her spirals.

"Tsukino-san!" her teacher stated loudly, letting her know she had been caught. So much for stealth. "What do we have here?" The teacher, Amanogawa Wataru, approached Usagi's desk and took the paper filled with notes.

The two blondes that had been exchanging the notes felt the color drain from their faces as their hearts felt like they were stopping. They watched with horror as Amanogawa-sensei returned to the front of the room.

"Now, what on Earth could you two be talking about that would be more important than my physics lesson?" he asked. Then, he started to read the note. "**So, Usagi, happy to be alive again?** _Ha-ha. That wasn't me. I didn't die this time, remember?_"

Strange looks came from the confused students to the teacher.

"**I guess. At least that bitch Galaxia is gone now.** _Oy vey. Minako, how many times do I need to explain to you that Sailor Galaxia was good? She sealed Chaos inside her body so it would not be a threat to anyone else. We were fighting Chaos all that time._"

Looks of shock and disbelief were sent back to Minako and Usagi.

"**I don't care. She killed me, so there. Are you hanging out with Mamoru-san after school?**"

Finally, some normal girl-talk.

"_Do you even have to ask that question? Now that there are no more threats- yay!- I'm going to have a proper relationship with Mamo-chan where we don't have to stop in the middle of a date to transform into Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen to fight some unspeakable deamon or youma or phage of whatever they're called this time._"

All eyes went back to Usagi in shock, but she had burried her face in her hands. She lifted her head, and everyone saw that her face was not red with embarassment for playing make-believe. The look on her face was one of dead-seriousness and maturity. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard before staring at the confused teacher as he continued reading.

"**No kidding. I met a new guy, Kale. He's from America and he's... I'll let you guess this one. **_Kunzite reincarnated. You can thank yours truly- well, and Sailor Pluto- for that one, V-babe. _**Really? Okay, you are officially the best friend a girl could ask for. You sure they won't try to, you know, kill us?** _That was back when they were clones created by Beryl. They don't even remember their past lives. And even when they do remember, they'll only remember up to the point that they were cloned. They won't remember what their clones did._"

There were raised eyebrows abound. Clones? Beryl? This most certainly sounded like senshi-business, but there was no way Usagi and Minako could be senshi, right?

"**Hmm. Interesting. Oh, by the way, Rei wants us to meet her at the shrine for a senshi meeting concerning the role of the princess in Crystal Tokyo. **_Oh joy. Just what I wanted to talk about: ice ages and my future queen-ly-ness. I AM NOT READY FOR THIS! I am still sort of getting used to the whole 'I'm a reincarnated moon princess' thing._ **Usagi, you're still worried about that? **_Not really worried about it, but my mind keeps on inserting random flashbacks, Aphrodite! _**Like that?**"

What the heck were they talking about? Moon princesses, crystal queens? Yet every time they looked to the two blondes, they held serious faces.

"_Exactly. Venus, something tells me that people wouldn't react all that well to find out that about a tenth of the world are aliens that died when Metallia took over the Solar System. I can count three in this room aside from us. I mean, there's everyone who died at the ball, including people from other solar systems, and everyone from each of the planets! _**Ooo. Senshi name. That's serious. **_Venus! _**I'm just kidding, Usagi. One tenth of the world are reincarnated aliens. So what? If that much of the world are aliens, they just need to learn to get used to it. Besides, a bunch of political leaders are aliens, too. They just don't know it yet.**"

Now everyone was looking around at everyone else, trying to figure out who the three aliens were. They had gotten to the point where they were believing every word the two blondes wrote.

"_Yeah, well, I'd rather not have-_"

"Stop. Right. There," Usagi commanded angrily, standing up. "I will not let you violate the rights of the three students in this room that are not human. If you read those names off, I will be forced to use my powers on you."

The teacher stood his ground giving her a simple nod before ripping up the paper, thus ending the note saga between Usagi and Minako. "Tsukino-san, Aino-san, you will be dismissed five minutes early to get to your next classes and _avoid questioning_." He glared at the students, warning them not to harass the blondes.

"Thank you," Usagi replied civilly before sitting back down and letting the lesson resume.

True to his word, Amanogawa-sensei allowed Usagi and Minako to leave five minutes before the bell, and the two headed to their next class, math, immediately, waiting outside the door for the bell to ring so they could enter and sit down without being questioned by their classmates.

However, some people never learn, and Usagi and Minako were back to writing notes the next class period. And of course...

"Aino-san! Give me that note right now," the teacher, Sato-sensei, demanded, and Minako, wincing, handed the teacher the note. She prayed that her math teacher would simply rip it up with her over-manicured hands, but alas! Sato-sensei unfolded the note and began to read.

"_Man, that was brutal. _**No kidding. I was freaking out there. How could he read that in front of the entire class and reveal our secret identities as Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon?** _Well, in his defense, he didn't know what he was getting into. _**Still, he could have stopped reading it when he got to the point where he revealed your identity. It was made pretty obvious then! **_My biggest problem with him is that I think he really would have given the names of those students if I hadn't stopped him. They don't even know that they're aliens! It would hardly be fair for the entire class to find out before they even got the chance to process the information themselves. _**So how many are in this class? **_Minako! That is hardly an appropriate question to ask! ...Two._"

Eyebrows went up and eyes widened as the notes were read, but the one kid that had been in Usagi's last class felt a decent amount of sympathy for the blondes.

"**Who? **_I'm not making the same mistake and writing their names down this time. That was way too close. P.S. I checked the vault the other day. Two more senshi have been awakened. _**Who? Who? Who? This is so cool, all these senshi discovering their true power... **_Chill. It was just Phobos and Deimos. They're with Rei. They're totally cool with it. They're even getting all excited and making up human names for themselves. I feel happy for them. _**Yeah, being a crow must be tough.**"

Crows? As in caw-caw? Needless to say, strange looks were spreading.

"_Oh, remind me to find S. Juliet after school and direct her to Uranus. She's starting to get her memories back. _**Little Juliet? She's getting her memories back? Never thought she'd get her memories back on her own.** _Hey, don't judge. Need I remind you that you had no clue about your identity as Venus until Ace gave you back your memories? _**Don't remind me of that bastard. Any other senshi I should be on the lookout for?** _She and S. Bestla are the only ones left in Japan, but Bestla is way over in Yamagata and has no memories whatsoever, especially seeing as she's only eight. _**Darn. I was looking forward to seeing more senshi around Tokyo. **_Ha-ha. Sorry, V-babe, not for a while. She might be here before Crystal Tokyo, but most of the others are too far away for me to get a clear vision on them. I can see some in Eastern China, but they're blurry. The Outers are in Shanghai taking pictures of possibles and sending them to me so I might be able to tell from that. _**Cool. I can't wait for**-"

That had been when Sato-sensei had taken up the note. Usagi and Minako were looking around nervously, sheepish looks about them. Sato-sensei glared at them, daring them to explain. She pointed out the door and stated, "Principal's office. Now."

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><p>So what do you think? Should I extend it some? Make it a two-or-three shot? There were quite a few hints to the Minako spinoff I'm creating if you want to try to figure it out. And Juliet is a moon of Uranus, and Bestla is a moon of Saturn.<p>

Thanks, and please review!


	2. PA Problems

Lord Halcyon: Thanks, and I have decided to make this fic a bit longer (obviously).

RoboMoon4: Thank you!

WinniUsagi: Thanks!

Falling into the darkness: Yeah, Usagi and Minako don't have that much common sense if you ask me.

imonz: Thank you!

Mystra32: Yeah, I figured that if any two senshi were going to get themselves into _that_ much trouble passing notes, it would be them.

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><p>Usagi and Minako found themselves sitting in the principal's office, both shifting uncomfortably as the woman entered the small room.<p>

"Would either of you care to explain?" she asked as she sat down.

"Uh..." both Minako and Usagi replied nervously.

The principal sighed and began for them. "I have elected not to call your parents. I figured I would at least let you do that yourselves. As for the note passing- actually, the content of the notes that were passed- I thought you two should explain. Aino Minako and Tsukino Usagi, correct? You two have had more than your fair share of absences and nurse's visits. I expect that to be in your explanation as well."

"Well..." Usagi started her little story. She unwittingly leaned on the desk, pressing the PA button as she did. "We are Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus. We have been fighting youma around Tokyo for the past two or three years, though it's theoretically three or four because of a little time loop I accidentally caused. We have so many absences due to youma attacks, and for immediate, non-life threatening injuries after we got back to school from a battle, we did go to the nurse. We are also reincarnated beings from a thousand years ago, as is about one tenth of the world's population. We just happen to remember our past lives. You have anything to add, Minako?"

Minako glanced to Usagi's elbow. "Your elbow is on the PA button," she stated. Usagi's eyes widened, and she looked down, promtply pulling her elbow off the small, red button. "Well, lunch will be interesting. Can we go now?"

The principal sighed, knowing that was probably all she would get out of the blondes for now. She gave the duo a nod, and the two made their way out of the front office, everyone there staring at them, making them feel rather uncomfortable.

"They're staring at us," Usagi whispered nervously, the boldly blunt girl in the principal's office and the shockingly brave girl from science class both gone.

"Gee, I wonder why," Minako replied as the two rushed outside to the lunch tables. They got there a bit before the rush did, but the few students that had already arrived were staring at them, eyes wide.

Yet no one dared to approach them as they moved to their regular table and sat down, waiting for Ami and Makoto. The other two girls came up to the table and sat down, glaring at Minako and Usagi. "What did you do?" Makoto hissed as quietly as possible.

"Are you insane?" Ami agreed in a hushed tone.

"It was an accident," Minako explained. "Usagi and I were passing notes and got caught. Not only did the teacher read it out loud to the class, but she sent us to the principal's office." She convienently left out the fact that they got caught _twice_.

"I accidentally rested my elbow on the PA button," Usagi continued. She opened her mouth to say more, but someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around quickly, nearly whipping her assailant with her hair. "Yes?" she asked, confusion on her face.

"Okay, so which one are you?" the unknown boy asked. "Are you Sailor Moon or Sailor Venus?"

Usagi immediately put her years of dealing with the press as Sailor Moon to good use and said, "No comment."

"Oh, come on, we're all dyin' to know," the kid begged.

"No comment," she reitterated, turning back to her lunch. She began eating slowly, ignoring the teen's begging.

"What if I paid you?" the kid asked. "Then would you tell me?"

"No comment."

"What would it take for you to tell me?"

"No comment."

"I could provide... _other _forms of payment."

"HENTAI!"

Naturally, he wound up with each of the senshi's lunches covering his body.

Her remaining classes weren't much better. Everyone heard her say _exactly_, not hinting or suggesting, that she and Minako were senshi, so everyone was staring at her, questioning her.

"Okay, let's flip a coin," one kid in her fifth period finally decided. "Heads, she's Moon, tails, she's Venus." The coin went up in the air, and when it came back down, the head of the coin was seen.

"You're Sailor Moon?" the kids asked, believing a _coin_. She only sighed and looked at her work, trying to block out the questions.

By sixth period, the news about the notes spread, and it was revealed that Usagi was, in fact, Sailor Moon, according to the notes that had been passed. The most uncomfortable part was when a girl she shared fourth and seventh periods with passed her a note.

Usagi opened it, making sure the teacher had his back to the students before she opened it and read it.

_Usagi-chan,  
>Am I one of the aliens?<br>Get up to throw this away for yes, throw it across the room into the trash can for no.  
>-Taru<em>

Usagi quickly folded up the note again, looking around to make sure no one had read it. She tore it up into many small pieces, mixing them around in her hand a bit, placing about half the mixed-up bits in the pocket of her skirt to be thrown away later so no one would have a chance of reading the message. From there, she got up and threw the other half of the torn-up paper in the trash can.

On her way back to her desk, she saw Taru's face. The normally happy brunette looked shocked and slightly scared, though she tried to display no emotion. All Usagi could do was apologize with her eyes. Swallowing hard, Usagi sat back down at her desk.

Taru raised her hand, and the teacher called on her. "M-may I go to the restroom? I-I feel a little sick," she explained.

"Yes, you may," the teacher agreed, handing his student a pass. "Get some water; you're pale as a ghost."

Taru practically ran out of the room, and Usagi stared after her. Then, her hand shot up as well. "Can I go check on her?" she asked, sounding almost like she was begging. The teacher nodded, and Usagi rushed out of the room almost as fast as Taru. She stopped when she entered the hallway, looking around for where Taru went. By chance, she looked down, and there Taru was, sitting outside the door, on the ground, her back against the wall.

"Come on," Usagi said, helping the girl up. "Let's get you away from the surveilience cameras and I can explain."

Usagi led Taru into the girls' restroom, closing the door behind her and looking at the bottoms of the stalls for any signs of others there. There were none, so Usagi got some paper towels and began drying Taru's tears as she explained. "Your name used to be Briarea. You were the last senshi of Juliet before Metallia attacked."

"These dreams I've been having... the blonde woman-"

"Was the princess you were destined to protect and serve with, Sailor Uranus, known then as Princess Caelus. I was the princess of the moon, Princess Serenity," Usagi explained. "I sensed that you would be getting your memories back soon, so I trust you with this." She accessed the 'vault' as the existing senshi called it, where all senshi relics were kept, and retrieved the first henshin wand for Sailor Juliet. It was a basic one, like the original ones the Inners had, with the gold top with her symbol on it.

Usagi handed the wand to Taru, and she smiled at it softly, eying the symbol like it was an old friend. The symbol was that of the Uranus 'H', but instead of a circle beneath it attatched, it had a small 'J'.

"You need to accept this part of you, or you will always feel that little piece of you missing," Usagi informed her.

Taru looked to Usagi, blinking away the tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she breathed, hugging the blonde. "I guess I was just a bit... overwhelmed at first."

"I know what you mean," Usagi agreed. "When I first found out who I was, I tried to quit. It took my friends nearly dying for me to accept it. You ready to go back to class?"

Taru nodded, a gentle smile on her face.

"Oh, and just so you know, you have to work up to where you once were," Usagi stated. "You're basically starting back at the beginning of your training. Oh, and senshi meeting at the Hikawa Shrine after school."

Taru nodded as they walked back into the classroom. The teacher said nothing as they walked in, having an inkling about what the girls had been talking about, though he had nothing to prove it.

When the final bell rang, Usagi could not have been more thankful. She practically ran to the Hikawa Shrine, dragging poor Taru with her.

"Usagi, you're actually on time," Rei joked as Usagi entered the shrine before the other girls. Her eyebrows furrowed upon seeing Taru. "Who's she?"

"Taru, Rei, Rei, Taru," Usagi introduced. "Taru is Sailor Juliet, and Rei is... memory test time." Usagi smiled at Taru.

"Uh... I think her uniform is red..." Taru replied, uncertain.

"Close enough," Usagi cheered, acting like a hyper-active chipmunk. "She's Sailor Mars."

Rei eyed the girl up and down, as though studying her qualities as a Uranian sattelite senshi. "Good luck catching up," Rei chuckled before walking back to her room, Usagi and Taru following her.

"Don't mind her. She can be really sweet once you get to know her," Usagi assured the brunette. "Oh, by the way, your hair may change color when you transform, just a heads up."

The senshi meeting began with the introductions of Taru to everyone, including Phobos and Deimos, now in their human forms, wearing Rei's clothes.

"It's great to meet you!" Deimos cheered, acting as excited about life as she always did. To Deimos, life was something to be treasured, even in times of s, adness.

Phobos, beig the older and more mature of the two, seemed a bit more wary, more like Rei. "Good to have another senshi on the team," she stated coolly.

"It's nice to mee you all," Taru replied nervously.

"Okay, so what's this about Usagi and Minako blowing their secret identities?" Rei questioned.

"We were passing notes in class," Minako explained. "We kind of got caught. Then we were sent to the principal's office, and while we were explaining, Usagi kind of rested her elbow on the PA button. The entire school heard us admit we're Moon and Venus."

"In other words, it won't be long before your faces are plastered all over the news," Rei realized.

"Bingo," Ami agreed.

"How could you guys be so careless?" Rei demanded. "Are you out of your minds?"

Before the blondes could answer and get themselves in even _more_ trouble with the fire senshi, Makoto cut in.

"Any way we can get out of it?" Makoto asked. "Say it was just a big joke?"

"Nope," Usagi shook her head. "We were talking about thigns like our past lives and finding the other senshi, as well as..." Usagi's eyes went wide.

"What?" Minako asked, slightly confused.

"The PA... I told the entire school that one tenth of the world are aliens," Usagi realized, burrying her head in her hands.

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><p>Oh boy, semi-cliffie. What do you think the people at the school will do with the knowledge Usagi and Minako have so convienently given them? Yikes. And what do you think of Taru? She won't be a main character, but she will pop up every once in a while, along with Phobos and Deimos. And do you think Rei will kill Deimos by the end of the week for her hyper-ness?<p>

Please review!


	3. Meet the Parents

Mystra32: Yeah, I knew someone was going to point that out... However, I didn't think about the other senshi becoming worried. Thanks for that. :)

imonz: Thanks!

IsadoraKayStone: Haha, no kidding. And I completely forgot about the Outers! They've _so_ gotta go in the next chapter.

RoboMoon4: Thanks for that; it's good to know that I came up with something different.

Moonlight Pheonix: Actually, Taru was originally named Tarumi. I shortened it to give a nod to Hotaru and the outer senshi as a whole. I've been thinking about Naru, but I haven't quite decided how she'll react, or if she'll even be in this fic at all. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Juuhachi-Love: Hehe. Thanks!

rainediamond: I know, right!

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><p>Usagi could not have been happier to be in Mamoru's apartment. The senshi had begun freaking out with the realization that their secret identities were basically blown as well, causing the meeting to be ended and the senshi to go their separate ways. They had already decided: unless their identities were blown, there would be little to no contact between the senshi, excluding Phobos and Deimos, posing as Rei's American cousins, Genevieve and Cheyenne.<p>

Either way, Usagi was walking into Mamoru's penthouse apartment- okay, more like stumbling in as she kissed him.

Mamoru could not have been more surprised by the sudden attack. He pulled back, needing oxygen. "Hello to you, too," he grinned, more than a bit shocked by his fiancee's intro. Then, he noticed the tear stains on her cheeks. "Usako, what's wrong?" he asked, ushering her inside and closing the door. He sat her down on the couch, he sitting next to her.

"I... I made a mistake," Usagi managed to choke out. "Every-everyone at my school knows who you, Minako, and I are. They know we're senshi and that you're Tuxedo Kamen. I was so stupid!"

"Hey, hey, Usako, calm down," Mamoru whispered, trying to calm her as she sobbed. He let her rest her head in his lap, and he brushed back the silky strands of hair that were falling into her face. "Whatever the problem is, we'll get through it, just like we always do." He sat her up and pulled her in close for a kiss. She sighed into the kiss, feeling all her worries leaving her.

"I love you," Usagi whispered as they pulled away.

"And I, you," Mamoru whispered back, nuzzling her neck. "And I will always be by your side, no matter what."

Usagi smiled up at him, a gentle glint in her eyes. Mamoru grinned back, knowing what the glint meant. He pressed his lips to hers again, slowly pushing her back to lie down on the couch.

"Watcha doin'?" a small voice asked from behind the couch. Usagi let out a surprised squeak while Mamoru just gasped, the two jerking up suddenly. Both their heads turned to see Chibi-Usa standing there, an inquisitive look on her face.

"Um... uh..." Usagi fumbled with her words, trying to explain what the pink-haired girl had just interrupted.

"We were kissing," Mamoru explained, not wanting to go into detail about what they had planned to have happen next. "So, what are you doing here, kiddo?"

"Why were you lying down just to kiss?" Chibi-Usa inquired, still not understanding.

"Uh, well, s-sometimes, you just get tired of kissing while sitting or standing, so you just lie down," Mamoru tried to wrap it up simply.

"Oh. Okay," Chibi-Usa shrugged. "I'm here because my mommy said that I needed to work on controlling my powers. Daddy said they're getting too destructive."

Usagi and Mamoru shared a look, wondering just what Mamoru's future self meant by 'destructive'. And wasn't it just a year ago that their little girl was struggling to bring her powers _out_?

"Okay, sweetie," Usagi said, not realizing that she was becoming much more motherly towards her future daughter, especially after taking care of Chibi Chibi for all that time. "What exactly happened?" Usagi was more than looking forward to the distraction from the... _situation_.

"Well..." Chibi-Usa began nervously, going to sit down on a chair across from Usagi and Mamoru. "Whenever I get mad, things... they go wrong. People get hurt."

Mamoru sighed and let his head fall in realization. Chibi-Usa's powers had been strongly tied to her emotions. "It's all gonna be okay, kiddo," Mamoru promised. "We can start training after school tomorrow."

Usagi let out a small laugh. "If it's even possible for me to get out of the house to _go_ to school," she commented, resulting in her daughter giving her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" Chibi-Usa asked. Then, jokingly, she added in, "Did Usagi-baka's grades get so bad she had to drop out?"

"_No_," Usagi replied, only slightly offended. "But there was a bit of a... _dumb blonde_ moment from me today, I guess. Minako and I were passing notes, and we got caught. The identities of me, Minako and Mamo-chan were all revealed."

"Oh..." Chibi-Usa said, hints of worry in her voice. "I guess that's what Mommy was telling me to be prepared for."

"Likely," Mamoru nodded. "If we want to explain the given situation _and_ Chibi-Usa's arrival to your parents, Usako, we should probably be headed out now."

Usagi sighed, a frown on her face. "Fine," she agreed.

The trio remained absolutely silent in the car on the way to Usagi's house, even when the car became surrounded by paparazzi as they entered the driveway. Usagi looked away from the windows at that point, instead focusing on Mamoru as he drove the car at a snail's pace. Well, it was either a snail's pace or running over a bunch of civilians.

"It's gonna be okay," Mamoru assured the girls in his car. "I promise." He stopped once the car's front bumper was nearly touching the garage door. They sat there with the car running for a couple of moments before Usagi gave a small nod. With that, Mamoru turned off the car, removed the keys, and the three all got out at once.

Usagi picked up Chibi-Usa, knowing it would be easier for the youngest of the three if she was carried, as opposed to fighting her way through the crowd. None of the three even graced the barrage of paparazzi with a "no comment" as they pushed through, finally managing to get inside the house, locking the door behind them.

"Tsukino Serenity Usagi, you are in so much trouble!" Kenji yelled as he walked into the front hall from the living room, presuming correctly that it was his daughter that entered. What he didn't expect, however, were the two with her. His eyes promptly narrowed at Mamoru. "I take it you're this _Tuxedo Kamen_ who has been assisting my daughter all this time?"

"Uh... y-yes sir," Mamoru replied. He did not fear a lot, but one thing he did fear was Tsukino Kenji and just what would happen when they met.

To Mamoru's shock, the elder man's features relaxed, and he approached Mamoru to shake his hand. "Well, it's good to know someone's been out there keeping my daughter safe."

Feeling Mamoru's desperate thoughts attempting to penetrate her mind, she opened their link, which she had closed off in an attempt to prevent him from knowing of the catastrophe at school earlier. _You didn't tell your parents we're engaged, did you? _he thought to her.

_Heh-heh... yeah, they don't even know we're dating,_ Usagi confessed.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," Mamoru shook the man's hand, remaining calm. "Your daughter and... niece's safety are of the utmost importance to me." Mamoru just barely caught himself from saying granddaughter. He could only imagine how well that would go over.

"Niece?" Kenji asked in confusion. "Both my wife and I are only-children. Wait, who's the little girl?" Kenji looked at Chibi-Usa.

Usagi and Mamoru both tensed up at that, while Chibi-Usa wriggled out of Usagi's arms, summoning the Luna Sphere. She turned the cat-like contraption into her hypnotizing umbrella and started spinning it. Suddenly, the little girl's eyes opened wide, and she tried to stop the umbrella from spinning, but she quickly had to pull her hands away with a yelp, revealing harsh-looking friction burns on her hands.

"Stop," she attempted to order the umbrella. When that didn't work, she tried again. "Stop! STOP!" Suddenly, the umbrella exploded, turning back into the Luna Sphere.

"Are you okay, honey?" Usagi asked, rushing up to her daughter and checking her hands.

"What was that?" Ikuko's voice came from upstairs. The purple-haired woman rushed down the stairs shortly thereafter.

"Um... I can explain," was all Usagi managed to say.

Sensing Usagi's worry and need for some time to think, he offered, "But we need to get Chibi-Usa some bandages for her hands first." With that, both he and Usagi led a sniffling Chibi-Usa off to the bathroom. Usagi turned on the cold water in the sink and guided Chibi-Usa's hands under the faucet. The pink-haired child let out a small cry of pain as the water hit her hand, but said nothing aside from that.

"I'm sorry, honey, but this will make it hurt less," Usagi promised. "I'd let Mamo-chan heal you, but my parents wouldn't understand and raise too many questions."

Chibi-Usa sniffed and nodded understandingly while Mamoru rummaged through the medicine cabinet for some antiseptic and bandages. Usagi frowned at the nasty wounds the umbrella had caused, not only causing the friction burns, but some deep cuts on her hands as well. It would be a few days before any substantial healing occurred.

After about five minutes, both parents took great care in drying the wounds and applying antiseptic and aloe vera. Finally, Mamoru wrapped the wounds in a simple line of bandages around each palm, covering as little skin on Chibi-Usa's hands as possible. He fastened the bandages with medical tape and kissed the back of each hand, making his little girl smile.

"Now, are you ready to go back in and explain what just happened, or do you need a couple more minutes to calm down and think of what you're going to say?" Usagi asked. Since Chibi-Usa's hypnotism plan failed miserably, she would have to explain what had been trying to do.

"I'm ready," Chibi-Usa nodded, her crying having calmed down quite a bit. The three went downstairs, Mamoru carrying Chibi-Usa. Just as they got downstairs, the front door slammed shut, a wide-eyed Shingo with his back pressed against it.

"Usagi, I knew you were a dunce, but were you really stupid enough to reveal yourself as Sailor Moon _and_ Princess Serenity?" he asked, panting heavily.

"You _knew_?" Usagi asked in shock.

"Oh, please, I'm your little brother, you have a diary, what did you expect?" he asked. Then, he eyed Mamoru warily. "You must be Endymion."

"What all did you write about in your diary?" Mamoru asked quietly.

"Enough that I'll only have to explain how my secret got out and why Chibi-Usa's back to him," Usagi told him quietly. Speaking to her family, she continued, "How about we all sit down in the living room, and we'll explain."

With that, all six sat down in the living room, the blinds and curtains having already been shut to avoid anyone taking pictures of them. Usagi nervously tapped her fingers against her leg, trying to find the best way to begin. "You see, a thousand years ago, each of the planets were their own governments, and the leader of this solar system was the moon. I was the princess of the moon, Serenity. There was a bit of an incident, and the governments on all the planets except Earth were destroyed. Many Terrans and people from other planets were killed, including," Usagi cleared her throat, "myself." Instinctively, Usagi rested a hand on her heart and rubbed the skin there through her uniform, right where she had stabbed herself. The scar she would have gotten in her past life appeared after she first transformed into Serenity that fateful night at Starlight Tower. It was odd, to be honest: a simple line running vertically down her heart, and on her back was the same, the sword having gone all the way through her chest.

"Everyone who had died in that battle was reincarnated into many people on Earth today, including me and my guards, the senshi. I was given the guise of Sailor Moon as an interesting form of protection, and for the longest time, I didn't even know I was Serenity. It was only after... something very bad happened to Tuxedo Kamen that I learned who I was.

"My fighting is over for the most part, so I'm no longer in much danger, and more often than not, I have a team ready to help and protect me," Usagi finished. "Do you have any questions?"

"Why?" was all Ikuko had to say. "Why did you lie to us? Why are you doing this? Why didn't you just quit?"

Usagi sighed nervously and pursed her lips before beginning, "I lied to you because if anyone found out who I was, my enemies would come after my family. I nearly killed Hawk's Eye on the spot when he targeted you, and I didn't want to have that situation occur again. And I'm doing this because it's a part of who I am now. It's not something I can just stop doing."

"Who _is_ the little girl?" Kenji asked.

"I have a name!" Chibi-Usa replied indignantly.

"Mind your manners," Usagi said in a firm, but kind voice.

"When did she get to be like this?" Chibi-Usa whispered to Shingo.

"Chibi Chibi had a lot to do with it," Shingo whispered back. "It's good to see my favorite niece again."

"I'm your only niece that you know of," Chibi-Usa claimed.

"What was that?" Kenji asked, unable to hear the hushed conversation between the two.

"Nothing!" the two chorused.

Knots in her stomach, Chibi-Usa stood up to give her explanation. "My name is Usagi Small Lady Serenity," she began. "I'm Usagi's daughter in the future. I apologize for my previous actions towards you. I have hypnotized you twice into believing that I am your niece, and I tried to hypnotize you again a few minutes ago. I know it may seem cruel, but I was scared and did not know what to do. I have been here previously, once to receive Sailor Moon's help in saving my parents, and once to get training as a sailor senshi because I was having so much trouble accessing my powers. Now, I am here once again to receive training because my powers are out of my control."

Usagi gave her daughter a small nod, approving of her maturity.

"As princess of the moon and earth, I request your refuge here, and as your granddaughter, I request your forgiveness," Chibi-Usa stated, giving a polite bow.

"Whoa, back up to the 'you're Usagi's daughter' part," Kenji requested.

Before Chibi-Usa could speak, Usagi continued, "Not for many years, after I'm married."

"Well, who's the lucky guy?" Ikuko asked, smiling at the thought of grandchildren.

"His name is Endymion," Usagi stated, deciding that she would slowly introduce the idea of Mamoru as her boyfriend.

Kenji's eyebrows furrowed. "Endymion?" he asked. "What kind of name is 'Endymion?'"

* * *

><p>Well, I thought it'd be nice to just end the chapter on a semi-funny note. Well, you may not think it's funny, but I think it's kinda-sorta funny. Meh (shrugs).<p>

Please review!


	4. The New Enemy

Mystra32: I've got the same feeling about the Outers and Shingo, but I think that Rei is relatively safe. There are many Shinto shrines in Tokyo, and the name Rei could be in reference to the shrine maiden, but she goes to a different school, lowering suspicion.

Princess Moonie of the moon: Thanks!

IsadoraKayStone: Haha, no kidding. And thank you. As for the Outers, they'll definitely be getting back from China soon.

James Birdsong: Thanks!

CLUZZLE: Thank you!

PrincessSerenityforever21: Thanks!

* * *

><p>Usagi smiled slightly as she woke up surrounded in warmth. She sighed softly and snuggled closer to the warmth, her eyes slowly flittering open. Looking up, she saw Mamoru, who was already awake and looking down at her, love in his eyes.<p>

Usagi blinked a few times, trying to recall what had happened last night. Mamoru had been forced to sleep on the couch in the Tsukino living room, unable to even get outside. Usagi had felt sorry for him due to a number of things: one, they had to keep their relationship a secret, and two, the noise from the press outside was almost enough to keep them awake inside. At least they had blackout curtains so the flashing of the cameras wouldn't disturb them.

Either way, when Usagi brought him an extra blanket in the middle of the night, he, being the light sleeper he was, woke up and pulled her onto the couch with him so she was lying on top of him. And so Usagi and Mamoru slept like that for the remainder of the night.

"Good morning," she whispered, nuzzling his chest.

"Good morning," Mamoru grinned, holding her close.

"And just what is going on in here?" Kenji's voice demanded, causing them both to shoot off the couch, but Mamoru couldn't help but pull Usagi close again, her back pressed against his front.

"It's nothing, Papa," Usagi said, using the limited amount of information he had about Mamoru to her advantage. "He's my protector. He's just doing his job. I brought him a blanket, and we fell asleep on the couch." Well, it was the truth- the whole truth at that, viewing the time frame she was speaking of. Just not the whole truth about their relationship.

Kenji watched, suspicion in his eyes as Mamoru kept his hold on Usagi. Reluctantly, he turned away towards the kitchen to make his morning coffee.

Both Usagi and Mamoru relaxed the second Kenji left the room, only to hear a small giggling from the stairs. The couple looked over to see Chibi-Usa sitting in the middle of the stairs, an amused look on her face. "You two are gonna be in _trouble_," she giggled.

"Oh, I'll show you trouble," Usagi joked before attacking her daughter and tickling her. That, of course, caused Chibi-Usa to burst into laughter, trying pathetically to fight Usagi off.

"Okay, okay, I give!" Chibi-Usa gasped out.

Usagi chuckled and helped Chibi-Usa up before the two walked into the kitchen for breakfast, Mamoru following behind. "So where's Mama?" Usagi asked. "She's usually up before you."

"She had a rough night," Kenji explained. "Yesterday really rattled her."

"Oh..." Usagi replied, feeling guilty. "Uh... d-do you have any questions you want to ask me without Mama or Shingo or anyone here? Mamo-chan, could you maybe take Chibi-Usa up to get dressed?"

Mamoru simply nodded and picked up Chibi-Usa, carrying her up to Usagi's room.

"How... Why... I don't know where to begin," Kenji confessed. "How long are you going to keep doing this?"

"Not long," Usagi confessed. "Pretty soon it will be time for me to step down and let destiny take over."

Kenji smiled slightly and said, "You act like you've been doing this for years, far longer than you've claimed."

"Well, let's just say one of my friends shed some light on the future for me," Usagi smiled, thinking of how King Endymion had spoken so kindly to her, praised her, explained just who she would be in a matter of years.

"What friend?" Kenji asked curiously.

"Endymion, in the future," Usagi said, not even noticing as her Lunarian accent slipped up. It was similar to an English accent, but there was just something _different_ about it... _magical_.

"The future?" Kenji asked skeptically. "And what's with the accent?"

"Both of those can be explained once Mama wakes up," Usagi smiled softly in a diplomatic tone. "Do you have any other questions?"

"Why do you keep doing this?" Kenji asked, still hoping to change his daughter's mind about this death wish of a destiny.

"Because it is who I am," Usagi told him simply. "And without this, I would not be the Usagi you know now. I would be but a shell of my current life."

"That's a dark way of putting it, don't you think?"

"Not if it's true."

After a few moments of silence, Usagi left to go retrieve Mamoru and Chibi-Usa, only to smile brightly and let out a small laugh when she opened her bedroom door. Chibi-Usa was wearing overalls, but poor Mamoru couldn't figure out how to fasten the clasps for the life of him.

"Here," Usagi offered in an amused tone, walking over to fasten the clasps, showing Mamoru how to do it for future reference. After that, the small family went down the stairs, and Usagi and Chibi-Usa sat down on the sofa, Mamoru having offered to make breakfast for them.

Not long after, Ikuko came downstairs. "Good morning," she said with a yawn, displaying how little she had slept the night before. "How are you two?"

"We're fine," Usagi promised. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," Ikuko nodded. "Just had a lot on my mind last night."

"Understandable," Usagi replied as Ikuko sat down on a chair. "Uh, Mamo-chan and Papa are making breakfast for us."

Ikuko nodded again and turned the television on to the news. All three in the room winced as Sailor Moon was shown in a video on the screen fighting a youma. Judging by the uniform colors and lack of assistance, it was one of her first battles. The Sailor Moon on the screen was fumbling around, trying to figure out what she was doing, and suffering a couple of injuries on the way.

"_That was from two years ago_," the reporter said. "_Let's see the difference after that time._"

Another clip came on, this one of Usagi in her current form, but she was still alone for that one battle. And needless to say, she was kicking the phage's ass without any help. Usagi couldn't help but smile slightly at the footage. Never before had she realized just how much she changed since she first started being a senshi.

"_And what about Sailor Venus, aka Aino Minako?_" the co-anchor asked as the shot cut back to the news station and a photo of Minako was shown in the corner. "_There have been some rumors flying around that she used to be Sailor V._"

"Oh, please, it hasn't even been twenty-four hours," Usagi grumbled. That wasn't enough time to make up any rumors! However, Usagi's main focus was not the rumor, really, but what would happen if they started digging into her friend's past to get the evidence they needed. Minako gave up being Sailor V for a reason, a very painful reason at that, and information about that reason would wind up all over the news if it got out.

And if there was one thing you should never do, it was hurt Tsukino Usagi's friends.

"_And what about the other senshi?_" the first anchor asked as Minako's picture disappeared, only to be replaced by eight pictures, one for each of the undiscovered planetary senshi. "_There have been sightings of ten total, so who are the other eight? If you have any information that leads to their identities being discovered, there will be a reward._"

_Reward?_ Usagi couldn't help but think angrily. What, were they outlaws now?

"Breakfast is served!" Mamoru declared, he and Kenji bringing out six plates with bacon and eggs on them.

"Shingo, breakfast is ready!" Kenji called up the stairs, and moments later, a tired young boy clomped down the stairs.

"Well, this certainly is an awkward family dynamic," Usagi muttered as Mamoru sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Once breakfast was finished, Kenji declared, "Shingo, Usagi, I've called your schools and let them know that you're not coming today. I figured we have enough to talk about, not to mention the fact that we're pretty much being held captive in our own home."

While Shingo let out an excited cheer, Usagi just sat there and nodded, turning the television off. There really was a lot to talk about when they got down to it.

"Ask away," she offered.

"When did you start being Sailor Moon?" Ikuko asked.

"It was a little after my fourteenth birthday and school started back up," Usagi explained. "My first youma battle was at Naru-chan's mother's jewelry store. That was the day I met Mamo-chan, both as Chiba Mamoru and Tuxedo Kamen. It was Luna who told me what I had to do."

"Luna? Like your cat Luna?" Kenji asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, well, kind of. She's not really a cat. She's from a planet called Mau, and she was my adviser in my past life," Usagi told them. "In this life, she told me that I was destined to be Sailor Moon. I'd let you talk to her, but I think she's at Ami's right now."

"And your friend, Ami, she's..."

"Sailor Mercury," came Usagi's simple explanation. "Aino Minako is Sailor Venus, Hino Rei is Sailor Mars, Kino Makoto is Sailor Jupiter, Tomoe Hotaru is Sailor Saturn, Tenoh Haruka is Sailor Uranus, Kaioh Michiru is Sailor Neptune, Meiou Setsuna is Sailor Pluto, Rei's cousins, Genevieve and Cheyenne, are Sailor Phobos and Sailor Deimos and Kagami Taru is Sailor Juliet."

There were a few moments of pause before Ikuko said, "You said you died. How exactly?"

"There was a battle on the moon," Usagi explained simply, not really wanting to go any further into it.

"You said that before, but _how_ exactly?" Ikuko asked again.

Usagi pursed her lips for a moment before turning to Mamoru and whispering, "Mamo-chan, could you please take Chibi-Usa and Shingo upstairs for a moment?"

"Sure," Mamoru complied, picking up Chibi-Usa and giving a nod of the head to Shingo, signaling the boy to follow him. The three went upstairs, and Usagi let out a breath.

"Back on the moon, when I was seventeen, a war was brewing between the moon and the people of Earth infected by the Dark Kingdom. They attacked us, and my husband, Endymion... he jumped in front of an energy blast to protect me." Tears began forming in Usagi's eyes, and she swallowed hard, a sob escaping from her throat. "He died in my arms, and... he was just so cold. I loved him so much, and I-I didn't want to live without him. I picked up his sword, and-" Another sob escaped her throat, tears now flowing freely from her eyes. "I killed myself. I stabbed myself through the heart."

Neither parent knew how to react to their hysterical daughter. Then again, what could they do after hearing their daughter committed suicide in a past life?

Slowly, Ikuko moved forward to hug her sobbing daughter, rocking her gently to calm her. Accompanying her in holding Usagi was Kenji a couple of seconds later.

They stayed like that for quite some time until the phone rang, and Usagi jumped up to answer it, welcoming the distraction. "Hello?" she asked, tears still in her eyes and affecting her voice.

"Hey, kitten," Haruka's voice came over the other end of the phone. "Lucky I caught you before the newspapers found out your phone number. I'd suggest disconnecting the phone after this call is over."

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear your voice," Usagi breathed.

"What exactly happened yesterday?" Haruka asked.

"Minako and I got caught passing notes, which just happened to contain enough information for Minako's, Mamo-chan's and my identities to be revealed," Usagi explained. "Don't worry, though, no one else's identities were revealed."

"How are you holding up?" Haruka asked. "You and your parents?"

"Pretty good, I'd say," Usagi replied, nodding. "You actually caught me at the perfect time. I just told my parents how I died as Serenity, and... well, needless to say, we all need a little break."

"Do you need me and the others to come over?" Haruka asked, concern in her voice. "We're back in Japan, so we can be there in a snap."

"No, that would just result in your identities being revealed," Usagi objected, not wanting her fellow senshi to be in danger. "Anyway, thanks for calling, but I've-"

Usagi was cut off by a loud crash outside, followed by screams, and she turned her head instinctively. "Actually, I think you might need to get here in your senshi forms ASAP," she stated, her eyebrows furrowed. She knew the difference between surprised, oops-I-just-broke-your-camera screaming and scared screaming, and scared screaming in Tokyo pretty much meant youma attacks now, especially in residential areas. "Gotta go."

Without much thought, Usagi hung up the phone and transformed into Sailor Moon in a flash of silver light. Mamoru, feeling Usagi's transformation, rushed down the stairs, dressed in his Prince Endymion garb, which seemed to be his natural transformation since the fight with Sailor Galaxia. "Usako?" he asked in confusion, feeling her panic.

"Come on," Usagi ordered simply, running outside with Mamoru in tow. There, throwing civilians around that had gathered in front of Usagi's house, was a giant collection of candy with eyes and arms. Putting her pinkies in her mouth, Usagi let out a shrill whistle, causing the beast to turn to her. "So you wanna fight or what?" she demanded, surprising Mamoru. No hokey speeches, no cliched words of wisdom? What was up with that?

Sailor Moon jumped into action, kicking the monster in the shoulder, the highest place she could possibly kick on the tall monster. Mamoru jumped in as well, angrily throwing gold sparks of energy at the monster after it threw Usagi into a tree. Rushing up to her, he saw that the blonde was out for the count. He frowned worriedly and got ready to pick her up, only to have the candy youma throw a blast of candy at them, causing Mamoru to press Usagi to the ground, using his body to protect her. He winced slightly as the somehow sharpened candy scraped his back, vaguely reminding him of the final battle against Beryl after Usagi healed him, and he used his body to protect Usagi, resulting in his death.

Instinctively, Mamoru threw more golden sparks at the youma, buying him enough time to pick Usagi up and rush to the house, Kenji opening the door for him so he could lay Usagi on the couch in the living room. He rushed back out after that, and in the distance he could see the Outer senshi approaching. He fired off an attack at the youma, this time maintaining it until the Outers got there, and they joined in, dusting the monster.

"Come on, into the house," Mamoru ordered, gesturing for the senshi to go inside. He followed them and walked over to the phone Usagi had been using earlier. Connecting with the operator, he said quickly, "There was a youma attack at 2981 Cherry Blossom Road; it was tossing people around, so we need medical attention immediately." He hung up after that and approached Usagi, stooping to his knees in front of the couch. He carefully lifted Usagi up slightly and slipped his hand under the small of her back, laying her back down on his hand. He let his warmth spread into her body, healing her injuries.

Usagi's eyes slowly flittered open, and she sighed. "What happened?" she asked tiredly. Her form had long since faded from Sailor Moon back to Usagi.

"The youma we were fighting threw you into a tree," Mamoru explained. "You passed out. You need to rest, okay?"

"Mm-hmm..." Usagi replied tiredly. "Where's Chibi-Usa?"

"I told her to stay upstairs," Mamoru explained. "I'll bring her down for you."

Usagi nodded as Mamoru headed upstairs, and the Outers approached the blonde.

"You okay, Usagi-chan?" Michiru asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Usagi replied, slowly moving into a sitting position. "I just can't believe I let that youma hit me, especially so quickly."

"You're just out of practice," Hotaru assured her.

"Once you get used to fighting again, you'll do just fine," Setsuna agreed.

"Is Mommy gonna be okay?" Chibi-Usa's voice could be heard from the top of the stairs.

"She's gonna be just fine," Mamoru promised as he walked down the stairs, now back in civilian form, Chibi-Usa in his arms.

"Are you sure she's gonna be okay?" Kenji asked worriedly as Ikuko walked in with a damp washcloth for Usagi's forehead.

"Mommy?" Chibi-Usa asked worriedly, wriggling out of her father's arms and rushing up to her mother, just as Ikuko laid the washcloth on the blonde's forehead.

"I'm fine, kiddo," Usagi assured her daughter, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Okay, how about we give Usagi some room to rest," Ikuko suggested.

* * *

><p>Minako stared at her transformation pen, analyzing every piece of it. The main staff and handle of it were pink, made from a rare Lunarian stone she had long forgotten the name of. Her symbol was surrounded by a wreath, both made of gold, both surrounded by a sphere of topaz with a gold star on top of it. She stared at it, her eyes turning the same shade of topaz for a minute as she stared at it.<p>

"Minako!" Aino Keiko's voice came from downstairs, and Minako turned her head instinctively. Suddenly, dark smoke seeped through the vent in Minako's room behind her. The smoke then shot out at Minako, throwing her into the wall, the transformation pen crashing to the ground, the crystal atop it shattering. Minako let out a small whimper, partially from pain, partially from the surprise of the crystal being shattered.

"No..." Minako whispered as the smoke receded back into the vent.

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><p><em>Oh...<em> Minako's in _trouble..._

Please review.


	5. Blood to Blood

Sailor sun1234: Thanks!

Reasimba: Thank you! And don't worry, your mistakes don't make it difficult to read what you wrote. Your English is pretty good, I'd say.

Moonlight Pheonix: Lol, I wouldn't say her preppiness is gone, per say, but if you were a senshi and your ability to transform was suddenly destroyed, wouldn't you be rather serious?

PrincessSerenityforever21: Hehe, it'll be explained in this chapter (or the next one, or the next one... you never really know with me).

IsadoraKayStone: Yeah, I figured it was kind of like Usagi's transformation brooch (but different). If it gets destroyed, the ability to transform is destroyed.

rainediamond: Thank you! And I wouldn't say Sailor Moon is rusty, per say, but she needs a power-up (hint, hint).

Blood-of-Silver: Thank you!

wannabe kairi: Thanks!

* * *

><p>"Hello?" Usagi asked into the phone, waking up immediately when it rang. Something was wrong; she could feel it.<p>

"U-Usagi," Minako's scared, weak voice came from the other end.

"Minako, what's wrong?" Usagi asked, creeping into her closet to change into some clothes. She could feel that her friend would need her.

"S-some black smoke," the Venusian senshi reported. "It just came at me and knocked me down... it shattered the crystal on my henshin pen."

Usagi froze for a moment, her eyes going wide. There were a couple of seconds of silence before Usagi's mind got going again. "I'll be right there. You stay and rest; don't go outside."

"No duh," Minako joked with a weak laugh.

"I'll be right there," Usagi promised again before hanging up and finishing getting dressed. She rushed over to her window, opening it and carefully going out on the ledge, closing the window behind her. She jumped up, landing on the roof- albeit a bit wobbly. She then began racing across her roof, ignoring the reporters vocalizing her presence as she leapt onto her neighbor's roof. She ran as quickly as she could, easily outrunning the paparazzi following her.

Within no time, she was at Minako's house, which was also surrounded by paparazzi. She stood on the ledge of her blonde friend's window and knocked on it lightly. Artemis was the one that answered, using his paws to bat at the locks until he managed to open them, Usagi then being able to open the window from the outside. She ducked inside and walked over to her friend's bed, where Minako was lying under the covers, sweat on her forehead, pinning her bangs to her face.

"Usagi?" she asked weakly.

"Minako," Usagi gasped, walking over to her friend. Turning to Artemis, she asked, "How long has she been like this?"

"She started feeling bad immediately after the crystal was shattered, about ten minutes ago," Artemis informed her. "I've blockaded the door so her parents can't get in."

"You _blockaded _her _door_? From her _parents_?" Usagi demanded, walking over to the door and pulling the chair out from under the door knob. She opened the door afterwards, allowing Minako's concerned parents in. "The crystal on top of her henshin pen was shattered by the enemy," she told the blonde's parents. "She's gonna need blood, and..." Usagi let her eyes turn silver for a moment before reverting back to blue. "Darn it. Neither of you are Venusian."

"Excuse me, what?" Aino Keiko asked.

"Minako needs blood from a Venusian," Usagi explained simply before rushing around the concerned parents and running downstairs. She allowed her eyes to turn silver as she ran down the stairs, knowing it would take a small amount of time to get her power to warm up. She opened the front door to the house and scanned the crowd of reporters. Quickly, she saw a match: the man was holding a microphone that had the news station he worked for labeled on it, but he was surrounded by a soft orange aura.

"You," she declared, grabbing the man's wrist and pulling him inside. "What's your name?" she asked as she shut the door behind them.

"Yori," the man replied simply. He then held the microphone in Usagi's face. "Would you care to comment on the reveal of your secret identity?"

"No," Usagi stated, grabbing the mic out of his hand and throwing it behind them. She started walking up the stairs, pulling the young reporter along with her. "Sir, I hate to be this abrupt, but Minako is dying up there without blood from a Venusian, and you were a Venusian in your past life."

"What?" Yori asked in confusion.

Usagi stopped short at the top of the stairs and turned back to the man. "Long story short, you are part of the percentage of people that used to be aliens. You were a Venusian, and my friend needs fresh blood from someone who was Venusian, or she'll die. Her henshin pen was damaged, causing her blood to be, in effect, poisoned. So please. If you don't help her, she'll die. It won't take more blood than it would if you were donating blood at a blood drive."

"O-okay," Yori replied, unable to refuse the desperate blonde. He followed Usagi into Minako's bedroom, and Usagi began rummaging around in Minako's drawers.

"Aino-san, I need you to get me a large bowl," Usagi ordered. Minako's father did as requested, coming back in just in time to see Usagi pull a pair of scissors out of Minako's desk drawer. "This may sting a little," she told the reporter before using one of the blades to slice his hand open. She then did the same thing to Minako, but she held Minako's hand over the bowl and began squeezing the blood out of her hand. Once the bowl was three quarters full, she placed her left hand over the reporter's cut hand and her right hand over Minako's bleeding hand.

Usagi took in a breath and shut her eyes tightly, recalling how to perform the procedure in her past life. She started a countdown in her head, awaiting the pain that would come. _Five, four, three, two, one._ Usagi bit back a scream as the foreign blood transfered through her and into Minako's body. Once she had transfered enough blood, she let her hands drop and fell backwards, panting heavily.

"Are you okay, Tsukino-san?" Minako's mother asked.

"I'm fine," Usagi breathed.

"I didn't feel anything," the reporter told her. "Are you sure it worked."

"I'm sure," Usagi nodded. There was absolutely no way she would be in so much pain if it didn't work. "Your blood should circulate back to Minako's heart and purify the rest of her blood." She turned to Minako's parents. "Call me in the morning if she is still sick. She'll be a little weak, though, either way, so you might want to let her stay home from school tomorrow."

The blonde slowly got to her feet. "I've got to go, but remember to call me, okay?"

Both parents nodded as the superhero rushed back out the window and to her own house.

Just as she got into her own room, Mamoru's arms wrapped around her, supporting her as she nearly passed out. "Usako, what happened?" he asked, holding his true love close. "I felt your pain."

"I'm fine," Usagi replied, still requiring Mamoru's help to stand. "But... this new enemy... whatever they are... they destroyed Minako's henshin wand."

Mamoru's jaw dropped. Henshin wands didn't exactly get destroyed all that easily. "It's gonna be okay, Usako," he promised his true love, though even he was unsure of the truth in that statement.

The dark-haired man stooped down and picked up Usagi bridal style. He carried her over to her bed and tucked her in next to Chibi-Usa. "It's gonna be okay," he repeated as the tired blonde slipped into unconsciousness. "I hope."

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><p>Huh. Kind of a dark ending, wasn't it? My OCD story writing has come up with a couple of new ideas that should be posted soon. One's a crossover with Percy Jackson, and one's just plain Sailor Moon, but AU. I hope you'll all read and review both this story and the new fics!<p> 


	6. Challenges

Moonlight Pheonix: Haha, she really can, viewing the fact that she's Sailor Cosmos. I just dug myself into a hole with Minako's henshin pen breaking, and the new power was the only way out, haha.

funkygirl1999: Thank you! I just started thinking about all these fics I've seen in teen-superhero fandoms where they start passing notes, and I just started thinking... what if they got caught?

rainediamond: Weird is good, I say, lol.

Bin82501: Hehe, I'm back! Ironically, I started working and got the ball rolling on this chapter about an hour or two before your review. :D

Anon: Okay, just cause you mentioned this in another review and this is the second person to mention it within the past five hours, you know I have to post, hahahaha.

* * *

><p>"No..." Chibi-Usa moaned tiredly in her half-asleep state. "I don' wanna ged up..."<p>

"Come on, kiddo, we've gotta get to school today," Usagi whispered to her daughter. "You had a day off already. Come on, my little Usa, it's time to get up."

Chibi-Usa smiled slightly and opened her eyes. "You called me your little Usa," she said. "My mommy always calls me that."

"Well, I am her," Usagi reminded her. "Now come on, out of bed, sleepy head!" Usagi picked Chibi-Usa up and spun her around, causing the girl to let out a little squeak and giggle.

"Mommy!" the child laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm up!"

Usagi set Chibi-Usa down and lightly bopped her nose with one finger. "That's my girl," she said. "Mamo-chan is downstairs making breakfast, but I want you to get dressed first. Okay?"

"Uh-huh," Chibi-Usa nodded before grabbing a spare set of clothes and rushing off to the bathroom.

Usagi headed downstairs after that, still having a wary look in her eyes. She was slightly paranoid and worried about the press still, and she had the right to be. She was being critiqued about everything she did- including her lack of presence outside since the reveal.

"Are you sure you want to go to school today?" Ikuko asked as Usagi walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sure," Usagi replied. "The sooner I get back, the better. And Chibi-Usa is... well, she's kind of used to the press."

"How is that?" Kenji asked.

"Oh... uh..." Usagi bit her lip nervously. "Well, it's... you see..."

"Spit it out!" Shingo ordered, knowing that Usagi was trying to say.

"In the future, Endymion and I are king and queen of the Earth ruling in the future city of Crystal Tokyo," the blonde blurted out in a rush. "As a princess, Chibi-Usa's kind of used to the media."

Kenji and Ikuko's eyebrows were so high on their foreheads that they practically melded into the rest of their hair. "You're the future _what_?" Kenji asked, not believing his ears.

"Gotta go, love you, bye!" Usagi said in a rush, headed towards the door.

"I don't think so," Kenji said, grabbing his daughter's arm. "Besides, you've got to wait for Shingo, Chibi-Usa and Mamoru-san."

"Yeah, Usagi-baka," Shingo mocked. "Wait for Shingo, Chibi-Usa and Mamoru-san."

"Fine," Usagi sighed. "It's just that all my past life stuff kind of transfered over to my current life, including the whole royalty thing."

At that moment, Chibi-Usa came downstairs and immediately ran to Mamoru's arms, who had remained relatively silent until that point. "Hey, kiddo," he smiled, unable to help his fatherly side from coming out. "You ready for school today?"

"Yep!" Chibi-Usa cheered, hugging onto the man, but keeping her still-bandaged hands palms-open.

Ikuko smiled slightly. Mamoru wasn't even trying to pretend he wasn't Chibi-Usa's father. It was so obvious! "So, Usagi, if Sailor Moon is Serenity, ultimately the Moon Princess, shouldn't the prince of Earth wind up being another superhero related to Earth in some way, like, oh say, Tuxedo Kamen?" she asked.

"WHAT?" Kenji demanded, feeling that he had been duped and that this so-called 'protector' was stealing his little girl right out from under his nose. "Do you mean to tell me that-"

"Mamo-chan and I haven't done anything wrong," Usagi quickly stated. "All we've done is kiss a little." _Or a lot..._

"What about all those times you claimed you were out with your friends, but your friends' parents said you weren't there?" Kenji asked.

"Usually youma fights," Usagi confessed, blushing slightly. It wasn't very often that she went to Mamoru's during these claims of hanging out with friends, but it did happen. "Now, I think you need time to cool down, and it's going to take a rather large amount of time for us to get to school, so we should probably leave now." With that, the blonde practically dragged Chibi-Usa, Shingo and Mamoru out of the house.

Once they finally got to the car, Usagi sighed and rested her elbow against the door, her head in her hand. "We seriously need more space with the way things are going," she muttered.

"Well, it won't be much longer until the Rising," Mamoru assured her, placing a comforting hand on her thigh.

"Yeah, but all six of us? We're not going to last much longer," Usagi declared, turning towards her boyfriend. "It's worse than the time Seiya-kun decided to-" Usagi cut herself off a mere millisecond before Mamoru slammed on the breaks, throwing all four occupants of the car forwards.

The dark-haired man turned towards Usagi, unable to hide the anger in his eyes. "Seiya decided to _what_?" Mamoru growled, despising the man enough to forgo the honorifics. He wanted Usagi to know he didn't think very highly of the man who had taken his place while he was gone.

"It-it's nothing," Usagi blushed, recalling the time Seiya had offered to stay with her while her parents and Shingo were out of town. The crowding issue she was referring to was when a TV cameraman had been targeted (how he wound up at her house, Usagi forgot) and a battle had ensued involving the phage, Minako trapped in her human form against a window, the inner senshi, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, and the Sailor Starlights. And all that occurred in her kitchen. Obviously, the battle had been one big mass of people unable to move, Usagi hardly having enough room to heal the phage- and even then she hit Rei accidentally (or maybe not-so accidentally...).

Mamoru didn't press the subject, instead starting to move forward again, which Usagi was eternally grateful for. He dropped Chibi-Usa off at primary school and Shingo off at Juuban Municipal Middle School, but he drove right past Usagi's high school. "Mamo-chan?" the blonde asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "My school's back that way."

"I know," Mamoru said simply, eyes trained on the road before him.

"Then... where are we going?" Usagi asked, growing a bit nervous. When the man didn't reply, she went on, "Mamo-chan, you're scaring me."

"Just wait," Mamoru said, and Usagi had a hard time telling if he was saying wait to find out where they were going or wait to find out how much _more_ he was going to scare her... or both. Part of her really didn't want to find out.

Mamoru continued to drive for Kami-knows-how-long, both he and Usagi remaining completely silent. They remained that way until they reached an ornate, wrought-iron gate. "Stay here," Mamoru ordered as he stopped the car. He put it in park before getting out, walking over to the gate. He pushed on one of the two separate gates, creating a hole plenty large enough for the car to drive through. Mamoru then got back in the car, driving through the gates and subsequent yard and up towards the ancient-looking palace within the stone fence that hid it.

Greenery surrounded the castle, fresh grass that had recently been put in growing along with many trees, some large and some small. The smaller trees had also been put in recently along with the white, pink and yellow flowers lining the ground near the castle walls. Someone had obviously spent a lot of time on the place. The castle itself had been cleaned on the outside and refinished, restoring it to its former glory.

Mamoru got out of the car and rushed around to Usagi's side, opening the door for her and helping her out. This most certainly was not what she had been expecting. She had expected Mamoru to get mad and start yelling, not take her to some palace an hour away. "Mamo-chan, what's-" She didn't get to finish her inquiry, as Mamoru covered her lips with his own.

He pulled away slowly and took Usagi's hand, leading her up the sandy-colored stone steps of the castle. He opened one of the double doors, the metal knob cold in his hand. The tall man smiled ever-so-slightly as Usagi gasped. The foyer of the palace would impress anyone. The marble floors looked as though they had been scrubbed with a toothbrush, and it showed Usagi and Mamoru's reflections. In the center of the foyer was an chestnut-colored oak table with a pedestal leg that broke out into three about halfway down. Atop it was a pale blue vase with light pink carnations in it. The walls were an off-white, creamy color, and Usagi's eyes followed them until she saw the white stairs with wrought-iron banisters.

However, before she got to take in any more of the foyer, Mamoru gently pulled her up the stairs, down the hall, and up a few more flights of stairs. He opened a door and led Usagi inside. Once again, before she could take anything in, she was distracted. Mamoru pushed her up against the now-closed door and began kissing her with a fierce passion. Usagi let out a small gasp as Mamoru grabbed her thigh, pulling her even closer to him. He wrapped her leg around his waist, and she instinctively wrapped her other leg around him as well.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi panted, her arms wrapped around Mamoru's neck. Mamoru smirked and pulled her away from the door, walking over and laying her down on the king-sized bed. Once again, she gasped out his name.

"Usako," Mamoru groaned.

* * *

><p>Usagi looked around the room as sunlight streamed in through the window. Said window covered the entire wall she was facing from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. The landscape she saw was beautiful, the green hills melting into sand that the ocean crashed into. Wanting to admire it closer, Usagi picked up Mamoru's discarded white shirt and pulled it around her body, buttoning the smooth, white buttons in the front. She got out of bed, pushing the pristine white sheets aside, and walked towards the window until she was mere inches away from it.<p>

After a moment, through the barely-there reflection off the windows, Usagi saw Mamoru walk up behind her in only a pair of black jeans, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on her neck. Recalling the memories of the previous few hours, she let out a moan. Her legs turned to jelly, and Mamoru caught on. He stooped down to pick up Usagi bridal-style and carried her back to the bed, laying her down but not lying with her.

"So much for waiting until marriage," Usagi laughed lightly, still tired and sore from their events over the past few hours.

"I'm sorry I got angry," Mamoru said, looking rather guilty. "It's just that man... he nearly took you away from me."

Usagi sighed and sat up, taking Mamoru's head and pulling him down to sit on the bed with her. "Seiya _didn't_ almost take me away from you," she promised. "He may have liked me, but I only ever loved you. I love you, Mamo-chan. I will _always_ love you."

Mamoru looked overjoyed, and he pressed a soft kiss to Usagi's lips.

"Now, did you do all this?" Usagi asked as Mamoru pulled away. "I mean, this house... it's... it's beautiful. Well, the foyer was. I got a bit distracted."

Mamoru chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yes, Usako, I did do this. I was going to show you in a few days, maybe a week when it was done, but I kind of felt I needed to show you after you implied that you and Seiya-"

"No!" Usagi exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Well, I kind of figured that part out for myself," Mamoru laughed.

"There were break-ins in the neighborhood, and Seiya-kun offered to stay over at my house while my parents were away. We weren't there for ten minutes before the senshi and the starlights started showing up. There was a youma battle, and we all got stuck in our kitchen together. No one could even throw a punch, much less call out an attack," Usagi explained. "Now, I kind of want to see the rest of the house." She finished her statement with an excited giggle.

Mamoru smiled at his future wife and helped her stand up. "Okay, but first, close your eyes. There's one room I really want to show you," he told her, and Usagi shut her eyes obediently. Mamoru led Usagi down the hall and down a flight of stairs, he having to pick her up to make sure she didn't trip over the steps, and down another hall. He opened a door, covering Usagi's eyes with his hands, just to make sure.

"Okay, open your eyes," Mamoru declared, pulled his hands away from Usagi's face.

The blonde let out a gasp and tears sprung to her eyes as she saw the nursery that would one day be Chibi-Usa's. The walls were painted a baby pink color, and white furniture filled with room. Usagi walked over to the crib at the far end of the room, but not touching the wall, and placed a hand on the side. She looked at the mobile, which contained a crescent moon, a star, the earth, and a comet. Usagi turned back to her future husband, a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Mamo-chan... this is beautiful," she declared before walking up to the man and kissing him on the lips. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Usako," Mamoru whispered, kissing her lightly on the lips. Then, a small smirk appeared on his features. "So... do you want to go explore our room some more?"

Usagi grinned. "I would love to," she smiled. With that, the blonde took off running, forcing Mamoru to chase after her. She giggled, having fun teasing him. He only caught up to her inside the room, tackling her to the bed.

"You little minx," he grinned, kissing her smile.

_Beep, beep, beep_

Irritated groans of protest escaped both Usagi and Mamoru's groans of protests, but the blonde reluctantly pulled away, grabbing her communicator off the ground and answering it. "Hello?" she asked, looking into the screen.

Much to her surprise, the person in the screen was her former kindergarten teacher, Kitori-sensei, if she recalled correctly. "Ah, hello, Tsukino-san," Kitori-sensei said. "There has been an... _incident_ with Chibi-Usa-chan."

"Is she okay?" Usagi asked, immediately turning serious.

"She's... managing," Kitori-sensei replied hesitantly. "Your parents are here, but she's begging to see you. She gave me this so I could contact you."

"I'll be there in..." Usagi looked to Mamoru.

"Two hours, but I can cut it to one and a half," Mamoru stated, pulling on a shirt. "We're in Minamiboso, Chiba."

"One and a half hours," Usagi relayed. "Tell Chibi-Usa that I'm coming as quickly as I can."

With that, Usagi ended the call and went about getting dressed as rapidly as possible.

* * *

><p>Am I the only one who noticed that a lot of Sailor Moon characters have surnames the same as locations throughout Japan? (Naru, Mamoru, etc.) Meh, whatever. What happened to Chibi-Usa? What's up with the castle? Do you think I made Mamoru too aggressive in his reaction about Usagi talking about Seiya?<p>

And remember: reviews stop this site from dying! (That's right. I'm on a kick now.)

Squirrel


	7. Home is Where the Heart Is

GuinevereRose: Thanks! I was worried about everyone being OOC.

stickdonkey: I'm pretty sure everyone's guilty of leaving a virtually nonexistent review, but I'm trying to leave a review for everything I read now. Want to join me on my quest?

Kellybug: Haha, I always saw Ikuko as mischievous in the ways of love, kind of like Minako.

SailorMoonAddict: I can understand your reaction, but I feel that Mamoru was in his right to be angry (probably not that angry, but still upset) because Seiya basically took his place for nearly a year, and he's worried about that happening again.

Bin82501: Thank you!

rainediamond: Well, you're right about the Chibi-Usa's powers thing. I have yet to decide if I'll let Kenji and Ikuko see the nursery, but the nursery was a hint for something that will happen in the next chapter (not what you think!). As for Seiya, you are evil, Raine. I might just have to implement that. *evil smile*

* * *

><p>Usagi was shaking as she and Mamoru got closer to Juuban Municipal Primary School. Kitori-sensei had implied that Chibi-Usa was alive, but injured, or extremely scared at the very least. She took in a deep breath, but even that turned out shaky.<p>

"It'll be okay, Usako," Mamoru promised. "Our future selves wouldn't have sent her back if she was going to get hurt." Still, Usagi noticed the small waver in his voice that came whenever he was truly scared.

"I know, but... I'm worried," Usagi confessed.

"I am, too, Usako," Mamoru replied. "I am, too." The sports car came to a gradual stop in the parking lot of Juuban Municipal Primary School, and Mamoru turned off the car, getting out and quickly walking around to Usagi's door, opening it for her and giving her a hand to get out.

Usagi let out a small whimper and wrapped an arm around her stomach, still feeling sore.

"Sorry," Mamoru whispered, wrapping an arm around Usagi's shoulders as she straightened herself.

"It's okay," Usagi replied, placing a small kiss on Mamoru's lips. With that, the two walked into the school, where Kitori-sensei was waiting in the front hall. "Kitori-sensei, where's Chibi-Usa?" Usagi asked desperately.

"This way, in the nurse's office," Kitori-sensei replied, leading them off into the front office and back towards the nurse. "The power went out briefly due to the reporters all trying to connect to the school's electrical grid, and when Chibi-Usa-chan tried to use her powers as a light source, someone knocked her over and the light ball exploded."

"Is everyone okay?" Mamoru asked worriedly.

"Yes, there were some minor cuts and scrapes, but Chibi-Usa-chan was hit by the worst of it," Kitori-sensei explained. "She had a cut on her forehead and a small burn on her neck and shoulder." The trio walked into the nurse's office, where about five kids were sitting in the room in addition to Chibi-Usa. Three of the six had butterfly bandages on their foreheads, five had band-aids on their arms, and they all had ice packs somewhere on their bodies. There was at least one parent for each of the kids glaring at her, and Ikuko was there as well, but she did not glare at Usagi. Instead, she seemed concerned towards both Usagi and Chibi-Usa.

"Oh, Usagi, there you are!" Ikuko exclaimed, rushing over to hug Usagi. "Where have you been? What took you so long? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mama," Usagi assured the purple-haired woman. "How's Chibi-Usa?"

Chibi-Usa, still dizzy and disoriented, looked up to Usagi, wincing at the fluorescent lights of the room. "Mommy?" she asked weakly.

"I'm here, baby," Usagi said, walking up to Chibi-Usa and hugging her tightly. That obviously didn't go over too well with the other parents. However, Usagi ignored the glares, instead looking over Chibi-Usa's wounds. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the child replied tiredly. "Can we go home?"

"Soon, sweetie, I've just gotta talk to the principal and the nurse and sign you out," Usagi promised. "Can you stay here with Daddy and be a good girl?" The pink-haired girl nodded as Mamoru approached Chibi-Usa and sat down next to her.

Usagi stood up and approached the parents of the other children. "I am so sorry about this," Usagi apologized for her daughter. "She really didn't mean any harm; she was just trying to help."

While most of the parents seemed to be relatively understanding, especially since no one had any major injuries, but one of the mothers looked furious. "You keep your _half-breed_ away from my son!" she ordered.

"No, Mom, it was an accident-" the woman's son tried to defend his friend, only to be interrupted.

"People like you should be exterminated," the woman hissed at Usagi.

"Ma'am, I'd appreciate it if you didn't raise your voice at me," Usagi said, trying to remain calm in the wake of the insult to her daughter. "And if you really must know-" Usagi's eyes turned silver for a moment, "-both you and your son are Uranian."

"Really? Coo-" Once again, the boy was cut off.

"I will not tolerate your lies," the woman hissed. "Come on, Diam, we're going home." With that, the woman took the boy's hand, leaving behind a very shocked Usagi.

The blonde turned to face Mamoru, her eyes widening for a brief moment in order to pass the message. Mamoru nodded subtly and rocked Chibi-Usa back and forth, wondering if she had heard the boy's name and realized earlier.

"Ignore Eleanor-san," one of the only two fathers there told Usagi. "She's only here because her husband got a job in Tokyo. If it were up to her, she'd be living the high life in California. She's bitter towards everyone."

"Thanks," Usagi said quietly. "I really am sorry about what happened here today. She really didn't mean any harm."

"It's alright, no one was seriously injured," the man replied. "But... aren't you a bit _young_ to be Chibi-Usa-san's mother?"

"She's kind of from the future," Usagi explained. "And it looks like school is letting out, so everyone should probably get home." This comment caused the group to gradually disperse, people all around the school trying to make it to their cars (or, in the case of the students, their parents' cars) or walk home through the mass of paparazzi outside.

During dinner, Usagi couldn't stop herself from rubbing her temples, desperately trying to think things out. Mamoru easily noticed his lover's stress levels rising and placed a comforting hand on her back, bending down to plant a small kiss on her cheek.

"And just where were you today?" Kenji demanded. "The school called and said that you didn't show up."

"I was dealing with something," Usagi half-lied. "I couldn't go to school because of it." She blushed ever-so-slightly and glanced at Mamoru. "But I'll be in school tomorrow."

Kenji noticed the brief glance and was ready to go ballistic. "Were you two sleeping together?" he demanded, jumping to conclusions... The right conclusions, but still jumping to them.

Usagi avoided answering the question directly. "Papa, do you really think Mamo-chan and I would be so irresponsible?" she asked. "We agreed to wait until marriage." Sure, they agreed; their agreement just fell through.

Kenji calmed down slightly, but he still looked at Usagi and Mamoru with suspicion. "How was work?" Usagi asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"It was... interesting," Kenji confessed. "My reporters are all asking to have interviews with you and your friends."

"Really?" Usagi asked, seeming genuinely surprised. "I never really thought about someone wanting an interview with me... Weird."

"They probably want to know what you look like without your human disguise," Shingo smirked, teasing his older sister mercilessly.

"Why you little..." With that, Usagi got up and started chasing her brother around the house.

As the siblings rushed up and down the stairs and through the house, Mamoru offered a proposal. "Tsukino-sans, both Usako and I have some concerns about privacy issues from the paparazzi and space issues in the house. For a while now, I've been working on restoring the palace of Earth, which is why I took Usako to Minamiboso today. The palace is almost finished, and it would provide ample privacy for all of us, and we wouldn't all be stuck in one house with virtually no way of leaving without being followed. I thought I would speak to you before offering the idea up to Usako."

Ikuko didn't take a moment to respond, welcoming the idea with open arms. Kenji took a moment to respond, but he gradually accepted the idea. Ironically, it took less time to get to his office from the palace in Minamiboso than it did from Juuban, leaving him with virtually no other option.

Mamoru couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face. He hadn't known the Tsukinos long, but they were all treating him like a family for the most part, something Mamoru was unaccustomed to aside from Usagi and Chibi-Usa. Maybe things would turn out well for him, for his family.

* * *

><p>Aw, happy Mamo-chan! You know you love him. Now how to destroy the happiness... mwahahahaha! And did you like the addition of Diamond. I hinted at the whole nature vs. nurture thing, don't know if anyone caught on to that. And I still need to get Chibi-Usa some training on her powers! (You can expect a lot of explosions and falling in that chapter, haha.)<p>

Please review for my fast updating!

Squirrel

P.S. Who do you think should play Haruka in a live action Sailor Moon? I've got everyone mentally cast but her. :P So please help, thanks!


	8. Oh Dear

IsadoraKayStone: Haha, no kidding. Unfortunately, Chibi-Usa's training is pushed back once again. :(

Moonlight Pheonix: No, I don't think so. They're both so young...

Bin82501: Thanks, but she's a bit too old.

rainediamond: Haha, not quite on the Chibi-Usa thing, but close(ish).

Blood of the Dawn: Thanks, but she's a bit too old.

BunnyLockhart: Thanks, and she might be good...

Star: Thanks!

stickdonkey: What stinks is that my review-everything-I-read parade has been rained on. My computer is glitchy and won't allow the popup that lets you review. -.- And the way I see it, the facade is cracking, and people are starting to be able to see past the disguise. And yeah, he'd definitely freak out.

* * *

><p>Mamoru stared at the blonde in his arms through half-lidded eyes, his hands gently pressing into the small of her bare back. It was about time for them to wake up, and he knew it. Still, it was hard to resist the urge to just stay in bed with the love of his life lying on his chest, never letting anyone know where they were.<p>

He had teleported Usagi and himself back to the palace the previous night in a desperate attempt to spend one night together alone before things went haywire and Usagi's family moved in. After all, they hadn't given an address or told anyone where they were specifically, meaning they were free, if only for a moment.

Mamoru placed a kiss on Usagi's forehead, summoning her from her slumber. The blonde let out a small sigh before moving to kiss him on the lips. After a second, she pulled away, but Mamoru would have none of that. Mamoru gently pressed her back down to him, his lips coming into contact with hers. Moving slowly, he turned his body so that the blonde lay under him, her right leg sliding up next to his body and wrapping around his waist. Mamoru pressed his body against hers, and Usagi let out a soft, content sigh.

"Mamo-chan," she breathed, pulling at the silver, silk sheets on the round bed so they wrapped around the couple. Mamoru let out a small groan into her mouth as she grasped at his shoulders.

Then, a thought occurred to the moon princess. "Crap," she hissed, pushing Mamoru off her and getting out of bed, using the sheets as a wrap to hide her body, and walked over to the phone in the room. She dialed the familiar number, and a couple of moments later, a male voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Artemis, how's Minako-chan?" Usagi asked worriedly.

"She's feeling much better," Artemis confirmed. "She's almost like a normal girl with a cold or some other minor disease. Her parents tried calling you yesterday, but the phone lines were dead, and Minako-chan's communicator died out."

"Okay," Usagi nodded, feeling only slightly less worried. "That means that Minako-chan's powers are diminishing further. We've gotta find a solution. Unfortunately, I've got to go to school, but..." she sent a pleading look to Mamoru, "Mamo-chan can come check on her."

Mamoru nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. He got up and began pulling on his clothes.

"He'll be there soon," the blonde promised the feline before hanging up.

"Let's get back before your parents realize we're gone," Mamoru suggested, tossing Usagi her underwear.

"Absolutely," Usagi agreed, working to put on her pajamas from the previous night before she and Mamoru disappeared. "We don't need my parents freaking out about us on top of all this senshi stuff that's been going on."

"I just hope Chibi-Usa doesn't notice. She's too smart for her own good," Mamoru chuckled, pulling his shirt on and buttoning it up. He couldn't help but wonder if Usagi had seen the tattoo on his back, right between his shoulder blades. The only times she had seen him shirtless were over the past two days, and in that time, she wasn't exactly in the position to be looking at his back. He always kept her close, holding onto her lovingly. The tattoo itself she would recognize right off the bat, though. It was Lunarian writing, the font looking Old English, like something out of a book from the middle ages. It was a simple sentence, reading:

_Kan dozké hime re adolé_

No human that he knew from this time would be able to read it unless he told them. Not that he ever had any intention to. The tattoo would likely be discovered somehow, some way by the paparazzi, and he would undoubtedly be questioned about it. But no one had to know the meaning behind it, or what it even said. If Usagi ever found out about the tattoo, he would show her, and she would know what it said. That was all that mattered.

"Ready to go?" he asked as Usagi finished putting on her silk nightgown.

"Yeah," the blonde nodded, taking ahold of his hand.

Mamoru let his powers flood through them, and the two closed their eyes, allowing themselves to be surrounded in golden light. When they opened their eyes, they were standing in Usagi's vacant living room, right in front of the couch.

"I'm going to go get ready," Usagi told him. "Why don't you make a quick trip back to your apartment to get some new clothes?" Despite the fact that there were clothes for him at the palace, he had only gotten something new for him to wear yesterday, not grabbing anything today.

"I'll be back soon," he promised, heading out the door quickly in an attempt to catch the paparazzi off guard, not giving them the chance to ready their cameras.

Usagi, on the other hand, being the first up for once, took a shower and got ready for school, being careful not to disturb Chibi-Usa when she went into her bedroom to retrieve her clothes. She was downstairs, practicing her cooking skills when Shingo came downstairs.

"Huh, the kids are up before the parents," he mused. "Weird. Where'd Mamoru-san go?"

"He went to get some clothes from his apartment," Usagi explained, putting the cinnamon rolls into the oven.

"Is he moving in?" Shingo asked warily, causing Usagi to turn around.

"Well, we were actually thinking about all of us moving into the palace here on Earth in Minamiboso," Usagi explained. "It's just that Mamo-chan and I want to spend some time together here without the paparazzi, since they'd be able to get into his apartment building."

"Oh." The boy sounded disappointed.

Usagi leaned down slightly, looking Shingo in the eyes. "Shingo, do you have a problem with Mamo-chan?" she asked, wondering how her brother felt.

"Well, no, but... ever since you started dating him, ever since you became Sailor Moon, we haven't spent any time together," he explained. "You're always off doing your senshi stuff or with Mamoru-san and Chibi-Usa."

"Oh, Shingo," Usagi said, pulling her brother into a hug. "I promise, I'll spend more time with you once things settle down."

"But will they ever?" Shingo asked doubtfully. "You're Sailor freaking Moon, and when it's revealed that you're a reincarnated Lunarian princess, this whole thing is just going to explode even more!"

"Well, how about this," Usagi offered. "I'll spend all day hanging out with you on Saturday, wherever you want to go."

"Really?" Shingo asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Usagi nodded.

A slamming door caused them both to turn. "We've got a problem," Mamoru said as he walked into the kitchen. He pulled a magazine out from within his olive green jacket and dropped it on the counter for Usagi and Shingo to see. There, on the cover of the tabloid, was a picture from the day before, gotten right when Usagi had rested a hand on her stomach.

_Is Sailor Moon Pregnant?_ the title read.

"You're pregnant?" Shingo asked in shock.

"No!" Usagi refuted. Okay, there was a slim possibility that she was pregnant, seeing as she and Mamoru never used protection, but there was no way she could have known it yesterday, when the photo was taken. "I was holding my stomach because-" she caught herself. "Because a youma hit me in the stomach pretty hard earlier, and it's still a little bruised." Yeah, Shingo'd buy that.

"Oh," Shingo replied, totally taking the bait.

"This is going to be fun to work out," Mamoru muttered sarcastically. "We could hide out in the palace-"

"No, no hiding," Usagi objected. "That will only make rumors worse."

"Then what do you propose we do about it?" Mamoru asked.

Usagi let out a small chuckle. "Looks like I'm going to Papa's office after school today," she sighed.

* * *

><p>Usagi let out a hefty sigh as she made it into the <em>Aera Magazine<em> building. Sure, she was still in a building filled with reporters, but reporters from other magazines and TV stations were held outside the doors by a restraining order. It was rather interesting, _Aera Magazine_ getting a restraining order eight years ago to keep competition away. Unfortunately, that did not prevent the receptionist from staring at her.

"Konnichiwa, Takaki-san," Usagi smiled lightly, choosing to ignore the fact that the man's eyes were glued to her stomach. "I'm here to see my father, Tsukino Kenji. Is he here?"

"Hai," the short man replied. "Eighteenth floor."

"Thanks!" Usagi smiled before rushing over to the elevator. She pressed the up button and walked inside, pressing the button that read '18' on it. She waited only semi-patiently for the elevator's ascension, tapping her foot on the ground. When the doors opened, it was like the reporters in the bullpen all expected her, turning to face her like hawks. Most of them remembered the girl as a small child, cute and innocent, not a pregnant superhero.

"Uh... hi," the blonde said nervously before rushing into her father's office. She had managed to hustle Mamoru, Shingo, Chibi-Usa and herself out of the house before her parents woke up, but the group had forgotten the tabloid on in the kitchen counter. Her father had undoubtedly seen it and was likely in a rage about his little girl possibly being pregnant.

"Hi, Papa," said Usagi in a sheepish manner as she closed the office door behind her.

"Tsukino Serenity Usagi, you are in so much trouble, when I am finished, you are going to need that Ginzuishou to bring you back to life, you-"

"I'm not pregnant!" Usagi interrupted his father's rage. "That's just a rumor. My hand was on my stomach because it was bruised by a youma. I promise you, I'm not pregnant."

Kenji calmed instantly. "Okay," he replied warily. "What are you doing here today? I thought you'd avoid this place at all costs."

"Well, I thought that with the latest rumor going around, I'd strike it down ASAP," Usagi confessed. "Besides, I'm sure getting an interview with a senshi will do wonders for the number of magazines sold."

Kenji let out a small chuckle and sat down at his desk. "I'm going to have Nakamori Hina interview you," he stated. "If I do the interview, people will be suspicious and cry foul play."

"Okay, I think I remember Nakamori-san," Usagi nodded. "Do you want the interview to be done at her desk or in an interview room, or-"

"Interview room," Kenji confirmed. "I don't want everyone crowded around you." He stood up again and led Usagi out of his office, only to find virtually all of the reporters and photographers waiting for them right outside the door. "Nakamori-san!" Kenji called, resulting in a brunette woman, one of the few actually working at their desk, turning to face them. "Interview Usagi, will you?"

"Hai," Hina nodded, getting up and leading Usagi off to the interview room.

"Minna, back to work!" Kenji ordered, causing the bullpen to once again turn into the usual busy workplace.

"Usagi-san, I haven't seen you since you were this big," Hina said, placing her hand at her hip as a reference. "Everyone here was taken by surprise when we found out you're Sailor Moon."

"Yeah, well it was called a secret identity for a reason," Usagi laughed. "Obviously, it's not much of a secret anymore."

"Okay, Usagi-san," Hina said as she turned on her recorder. "When did you first become Sailor Moon?"

"When I was fourteen," Usagi stated. "My cat, Luna, wound up talking, telling me that I had to protect the planet from youma, demons from the Dark Kingdom."

"Your cat can talk?" Hina asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, it took me some time to get used to," Usagi confessed. "She's my guide in all this senshi stuff. She also manages to make time to nag me about my grades and lack of sleep."

"Okay, who's this Tuxedo Kamen, Chiba Mamoru guy? How did you meet him?"

"Chiba Mamoru is my boyfriend," Usagi explained. "We met at my first youma battle. He saved me from being killed. He is also from the Silver Millennium; he was the prince of Earth."

"The Silver Millennium?" Hina asked, her voice again filled with doubt. "You actually believe in those fairy tales?"

Usagi only smiled with the allure she had been gradually gaining since discovering she was the moon princess so many years ago. "They are true," Usagi informed her in a calm, collected voice. "The so-called 'characters' of the story- Serenity Lunaria, Endymion Terra, Serenity's guards and Endymion's guards- are all real. My senshi are my guards, Endymion my fiance, and the Shitennou his guards."

"So... that means that you're..."

"Serenity Lunaria," Usagi confirmed with a nod.

"Okay then," Hina nodded slowly. "What powers do you have?"

"I can heal youma and sometimes others' wounds, I can see auras and what planet people are from just by looking at them, and there are a few others," Usagi explained. "I'm not big on letting everyone know all that I can do."

"Understandable," Hina agreed. "Now, as to the rumors about your pregnancy-"

"I'm not pregnant," Usagi promised. "A youma just hit me in the stomach, and it kind of bruised."

* * *

><p>Ugh. Can't handle writing any more of the interview. You can probably guess what the rest of the interview consists of, so...<p>

Please review!

P.S. What did you think of Mamoru's tattoo?


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